


Set in Stone

by ideallyqualia



Series: Rare Pairs [23]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Universe, Fluff, HQ Rarepair Week, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-25
Updated: 2015-03-25
Packaged: 2018-03-19 13:11:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3611289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ideallyqualia/pseuds/ideallyqualia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bokuto didn't want camp to end without hitting one of Kageyama's tosses.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Set in Stone

**Author's Note:**

> For the rare pair week day 1 prompt: beginnings.
> 
> Spoilers for the training camp with Fukurodani arc.

Kageyama's new toss was too rough and new for him to feel comfortable with it. His accuracy had gone down, and it took a heavy amount of concentration that exhausted him. Kageyama sat down after practice with a small headache, and he rubbed his forehead with disappointment weighing the corners of his mouth down.  

Hinata's voice carried through the gym loudly enough already, but Kageyama noticed it ring louder alongside his approaching footsteps. He wasn't alone, and when Kageyama saw two sets of feet stop in front of him, he looked up.

"Wanna practice with us, Kageyama?" Hinata asked.

Kageyama bent his head back down with a sigh. "We just had practice." 

"Yeah, but now we can practice with Bokuto!" Hinata's feet fidgeted. "Don't you want to?"

"If you're tired, then why not just watch?" Bokuto asked. "We're not starting this second, anyway."

Kageyama shrugged. "Fine."

"I'm going to go get Kenma." Hinata waved at Bokuto and walked away, breaking into a run when Kenma hurried out the door.  
Bokuto plopped down beside him. Actually plopped; his arms flapped and he bounced a little until he settled comfortably. He folded his arms behind his head and leaned backward.

"Mind if I sit here for a little bit?"  

 "You're already sitting."

"So yes?"

Kageyama closed his eyes. Bokuto was like a taller version of Hinata. Easily excitable, talked to anyone, and asked people to do extra practice with him. Kageyama went out of his way for extra practice, too, but not all the time. He didn't have a bottomless pit of energy if he had a headache. 

"Are those tosses hard to do? Akaashi told me he can't do them. He doesn't even want to try."

Kageyama moved his hand to scratch his neck. "They're really hard. I can't always send them accurately."

"That hard, huh? It doesn't seem so bad. If Akaashi can't do it at all, then you must really be something, because Akaashi's one of the best."  

Kageyama didn't know that much about Akaashi. Karasuno only had one match against them so far, and Akaashi didn't freely walk around and provoke people like Kuroo. All he knew was that Akaashi was talented enough to be Fukurodani's main setter, and that he dealt with Bokuto's enthusiastic and dejected moods well. 

Kageyama was thinking quietly about it, and he jolted when Bokuto clapped him on the shoulder.

"You're always frowning. Hinata warned me that you did that a lot." 

Bokuto was trying to mirror him, but Kageyama found it to be unbelievable as a frown. A pout, maybe.

Bokuto shook his shoulder and jostled him a bit more. His hand felt warm as if it sunk on his shoulder, turning heavy as Bokuto nodded with that ridiculous expression Kageyama couldn't take seriously. Kageyama looked down to stare at the hand on him, trying to burn it off. Bokuto moved his hand and pretended to dust something off of Kageyama's shoulder before returning his arm behind his head.

"You're like Kenma, sort of. Got it."

"Hey, Bokuto!" Kuroo called. "We're starting soon!"

Bokuto tapped his hands on the floor before launching himself to his feet. 

"Coming, Kuroo!" Bokuto turned to Kageyama and stomped his foot to get his attention. "Watch us, 'kay?"

Kageyama forced a puff of air out in reply. Bokuto didn't wait for him to say anything, and he jogged away to meet up with Kuroo.

Kageyama stretched his legs out on the floor, and bent his head and shoulders to loosen the knot in his back. He didn't feel like getting up to move, and he waved Daichi and Suga away when they walked by and asked him to join them. His headache was gone, but he still felt too tired to want to participate as he kept watching.

Bokuto's stamina was impressive. He couldn't reach warp speed like Hinata in a broad quick, but he had powerful spikes that broke through blockers instead of dodging them. The slam of the ball on the floor was loud, and so were his subsequent whoops and shouts. One of his high fives nearly knocked Hinata over when he was so caught up in the moment that he jumped and slapped his hands down. Kageyama snorted. 

He wasn't just blindly hitting the ball, and that was what Kageyama definitely noticed. Bokuto had much more experience, and after Bokuto pulled off successful moves that weren't straight forward spikes, Hinata tried to copy him. Poorly. The ball flew in flimsier arcs than normal, and Kageyama could tell that his arm swings had much less control.

Bokuto laughed and ruffled Hinata's hair. Kageyama saw Bokuto's lips move, but he couldn't hear from far away. He just saw Hinata stomp and wring his wrists as he returned to his position.

After one of his spikes, Bokuto lifted his head, and his eyes slid to where Kageyama was sitting. He gave a thumbs up and grinned, and Kageyama didn't know if he should humor him with something back. Bokuto returned to the game in a flash, and Kageyama started to really think Bokuto had a fast-paced personality. After practice was over, Bokuto walked up to Kageyama and extended a hand.

"Need help?"

"I'm fine." Kageyama swatted at his hand and got up on his own.

Bokuto nodded. "So what'd you think of the match? Great, huh?"

Kageyama eyed Bokuto's face to gauge what to say. "It was…okay?" 

"Just okay?" Bokuto shook his head and clicked his tongue. "You're so grumpy. Next time, you've really gotta join. Oh!" Bokuto grabbed him by his shoulders. "Why don't you be  _my_ setter?"

Kageyama jumped at the sudden touch. "Set? For you  _and_ Hinata? One of you's enough."

Bokuto removed his hands to clap them together. "Please, please? I really wanna try hitting your toss. Hinata said it's fast."

"Yes it is. But no." 

"No! No? Why? Don't you want to?"

Kageyama kind of did. Kind of really wanted to. But Bokuto was in a completely different league from Hinata, one of the best spikers in the country, and Kageyama didn't want to  _set_ for a famous player as if it was an ordinary thing to do. Other players he didn't care about, but players like Oikawa and Ushijima already got on his nerves.

"I just don't want to want to."

"Why'd you say it twice?"

"I don't know. I just don't want to."

Bokuto groaned. "You really don't want to?"

"No."

Bokuto tapped his foot. "Hn. Well, I have to help tear down and clean up the gym right now, but this isn't over." He pointed his fingers between his eyes and Kageyama's before walking away.

 

* * *

 

The next day after breakfast, Kageyama took to the practice court for early, private practice. He set up water bottles on the floor with even spacing, and he aimed a few tosses at them. Stationary targets were easy, but his tosses still missed them often enough for him to want to keep using them. 

After one of his tosses hit the mark, a sudden yell and applause startled him into knocking over the closest water bottle with his feet.

Bokuto, Hinata, and Daichi were in the doorway. Hinata kept clapping.

"That's amazing! Is that really your setter, Hinata?"

Hinata nodded, and he stretched his hands out as they walked in.

Kageyama returned to practice, and he gathered the stray water bottles to line them up again. When he reached for the ball, Bokuto stepped on it.

"How about today? Can I practice with you today?"

"No." 

Kageyama wrapped his hands around the ball and tugged, but Bokuto's foot didn't budge. Bokuto leaned his weight further onto his foot until his neck was bent over, his head much closer to Kageyama.

"Come on. Why not?" he whined.

A few more players were strolling in to wind up for team practices, and Kageyama's struggle caught Akaashi's eye.

"Bokuto, god, leave their setter alone." Akaashi came behind Bokuto and pulled him by his elbows, making his foot rise. Kageyama fell backward from the sudden leniency.

Bokuto complained and kicked his foot out, but Akaashi didn't release him. Kageyama ducked away with the ball and returned to the middle of the court to practice for a few more minutes. Bokuto and Akaashi kept arguing with each other, but after the ball hurtled by and hit a bottle, they flew apart in surprise. Kageyama intentionally chose one right next to where they were standing. 

He pointed at Kageyama. "Yeah! Alright, Kageyama! Do it again!"

Bokuto ran to the side of the court and picked the ball up before throwing it to Kageyama. Kageyama caught it, and he thought about making another toss, but Bokuto wasn't moving off the court. He was bouncing on his toes and looking side to side, shifting when Kageyama moved to one side.

"Bokuto, get off the court." Akaashi reached for his arm again, but Bokuto dodged him, keeping his eyes on Kageyama expectantly.

"This is ridiculous," Kageyama mumbled. He slid forward and tossed, and Bokuto couldn't make it in time after skidding from being grabbed. He and Akaashi fell.

"Kageyama, let's start setting up for team practice," Suga said with an uneasy smile. He waved Kageyama over. "We're using the court over here."

Kageyama collected the water bottles and returned them to the side. Bokuto followed him around as he walked, and Bokuto bent over when Kageyama did to keep talking and asking him the same question.

"Can we practice in a few hours?"

"No."

"Tomorrow?"

"No."

"What about--"

A loud  _ooph_ came out when Konoha yanked Bokuto's wrist. 

"Akaashi wants you,  _captain_."

Bokuto shook his hand off. "Fine. I'm coming." He gave Kageyama one last glance--that same pout again--before walking with Konoha.

Daichi eyed Kageyama as he stepped up to them. Suga and Daichi were talking idly, and other team members were chatting nearby or doing the final touches on the net preparation.

"I heard Bokuto ask you to practice with him. Why did you turn him down?" Daichi asked. "You're fine with Kuroo. Don't you want to practice with him?"

"I want to, but I don't want to."

Suga leaned his head forward, trying to prompt more from Kageyama. "Why not?"

Kageyama shrugged. "I don't want to."

Suga placed his hands on Kageyama's shoulders and spun him around in Bokuto's direction. "What makes you not want to practice with Bokuto?"

Kageyama tried to drop and lift his shoulders to slide Suga's hands off. He ended up reaching for Suga's hands to push them, and Suga pushed back.

"Kageyama, are you embarrassed of something? You look embarrassed every time Bokuto talks to you."

Kageyama's hands stilled, and he stiffened. "What?"

"Is it because he's that great a volleyball player?" Suga tilted his head. "I didn't think you'd be intimidated by that."

Kageyama's mouth tightened. "That is  _not_ why. I just don't think I should."

Suga crossed his arms. The corners of his mouth twitched up, and the knowing edge there made Kageyama fidget.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Daichi tapped Suga on the arm. "We should start now."

"Yeah, I think you're right."

They walked away, and Kageyama glanced between them with knitted eyebrows. He watched Suga for some other gesture, but Suga didn't look back at him until they were gathered on one side of the court to play against Nekoma.

Fukurodani's match wasn't starting right away, but Kageyama didn't notice until he heard a loud enthusiastic yell following one of his broad quicks completed with Hinata. Kageyama's hands snapped to his chest in surprise, and his head swiveled.

Bokuto's hands were still on one side of his net to pin it up, but he was standing on his toes with his mouth open to shout.

Kageyama ducked his head into his shoulders. It was a wordless yell, but Bokuto was loud enough to make people look. Akaashi grimaced and looked away. Bokuto did it for the next few quicks, and Kageyama felt as if his hand stuttered on the ball on one of them from expecting a shout. 

Fukurodani's match eventually started, but Kageyama still felt like he was being watched. After Karasuno's match ended, Hinata and Yamaguchi shot Kageyama sour glances. 

"Why did you mess up so many tosses?" Hinata asked. Kageyama wasn't thrilled about the penalty for losing, either, but he didn't think his accuracy was that bad for that game.

"You can't blame the  _whole_ match on me."

Yamaguchi's nose wrinkled. "Yeah, but they still got worse throughout the match."

"Yeah, Well, Bokuto wouldn't…shut up…"

"Don't blame Bokuto," Hinata said. "You shut up." Hinata hung his head and groaned as their lap of flying falls began.

  

* * *

 

After practice ended, Bokuto crept behind Kageyama to scare him. Kageyama knew someone was there from the shadows on the floor, but he didn't realize that it was Bokuto until he stepped to the side and saw Bokuto stumble to catch himself, his hands clawing in the air from a failed pounce. 

Bokuto whined. "You're supposed to let me do it. Hinata does."

Kageyama walked away. Bokuto trailed after him to ask the same question from before, and Kageyama kept refusing. When they passed by Hinata, Bokuto wailed to Hinata.

"Hinata, do something."

"Kageyama, you're stupid. Stupid, stupid Kageyama."

"…You're not very good at this." Bokuto turned and grabbed Kageyama's arm. "Just once? Why not one?" 

Bokuto leaned over to place his head by Kageyama's to hum and whine and ask again.

"No." Kageyama shrugged his hand off.

"Kageyama, get back here. Kageyama, come on, gimme a toss." Bokuto chased him with his arms outstretched to reach for him, and Kageyama almost tripped trying to race away as he kept refusing, his heartbeat trying to strangle him as he ran. Bokuto's persistence was terrifying.

 

* * *

 

In practice later that day, Kageyama gave up. Bokuto had a generator built in or something, because he didn't get tired of firing that question over and over. Bokuto's special brand of concentrated enthusiasm, concentrated on  _him,_ made him cringe from the attention. 

"Al _right_!" Bokuto grabbed Kageyama's hand and threw it up to slap their palms together. "Alright, a toss! Yeah!"

Bokuto hopped a few feet away to bounce on his heels and clap his hands together. Kageyama watched him motion for the ball.

"What are you waiting for? Toss it. Toss it." 

Kageyama nodded. He didn't want to send it straight to Bokuto, so he tossed to the side, and Bokuto shot up to spike it. The ball's strike made a satisfying sound on the floor, stronger than the spikes Kageyama was familiar with.

Bokuto jumped and swung a fist in the air. "That was awesome! Is that how it always feels like?" Bokuto stretched his hand out to gawk at it, and he ran up to Kageyama to show him.

Kageyama saw a reddened hand for a moment before it landed on his face. Kageyama's arms froze.

"Isn't it great, Kageyama? That felt great. Hinata's really lucky." Bokuto withdrew his hand, and he moved it to Kageyama's shoulder.

"Don't ever put your hand in my face again," Kageyama said, and he had to swallow multiple times in that sentence.

Bokuto ran off to pick the ball up again. "One more?" he asked as he held the ball above his head.

"No--"

"You're practicing?!" Hinata yelled from the doorway. "Can we join?"

Kuroo, Akaashi, and Tsukishima stepped out from behind Hinata.

"Akaashi's here. Isn't that nice?" Kuroo tugged Akaashi along by the wrist. Akaashi was clearly trying to slip out of his grip, and he made a light kick to Kuroo's leg. 

"Great, perfect. Kageyama'll be my setter." Bokuto turned his chin and swept his hand in a shooing gesture to Akaashi. "You can have that side, Akaashi," he said dismissively.

"Swell." Akaashi stepped onto the court with Kuroo and Tsukishima.

Hinata jumped up happily, his hands clasped together. "A practice match!"

Bokuto and Hinata parroted each other and repeated that same exclamatory remark as Kageyama tried to serve. He ended up snapping at them.

They were too excited to care. They ran all over the court, and when Kageyama made an in-game toss to Bokuto, Bokuto cheered and pumped a fist.

"It's completely different in a game! Even better!" Bokuto knocked on Kageyama's back as he got carried away, and Kageyama coughed.

"Not so hard, Bokuto."

Bokuto laughed. "Anything you say, hot stuff!"

Kageyama spluttered and stepped away from Bokuto's hand on him. It felt way too warm on his back, and Kageyama thought he was going to keep coughing and choke.

The game continued, and Bokuto gave Kageyama more congratulatory pats. Kageyama hunched his shoulders and scowled at him, but that just made Bokuto laugh more.

"You get embarrassed so easily." Bokuto bent an arm to ruffle his hand through Kageyama's hair, and Kageyama felt like he was having trouble swallowing again. 

Hinata tugged on Kageyama's shirt. "You messed up that toss like last time." 

Hinata's eyes were bright as if he knew exactly what he was talking about. Kageyama stomped around him and muttered at Hinata.

"What'd you just say?" Hinata asked.

"Just shut up and get back over there," Kageyama said as he pointed away to where he needed Hinata.

* * *

 

Kageyama hoped that he never had to play a match as Bokuto's setter again. Bokuto rubbed his head again after the game was over, and it left his hair sticking out messily. Kageyama smoothed it over with his hands, but he couldn't tell if he did a good job. Tsukishima and Kuroo snickered and snorted under their hands when they passed by him.

"There's something on your face," Tsukishima said.

"No there isn't." Kageyama rubbed his hand across, and Tsukishima returned his hand to his mouth to laugh silently.

"It's still there. It's all over your face, and it's red." 

Kageyama dropped his hands. "That's not funny."

"He's right though. You look red," Hinata said.

Kageyama wiped his arm across his face. It was convenient for him to do since it provided an excuse to hide it from them, but he felt something fall on his shoulder, causing his arm to drop. Bokuto was leaning his elbow on Kageyama, comfortably enough to balance himself there and make Kageyama stumble. 

"Another game tomorrow, Kageyama?" he asked. The casual slip of his arm on Kageyama and the friendly tone in his voice twisted Kageyama's tongue into saying yes. Now Bokuto wanted to continue using Kageyama as his setter for every one of the night practices they had left.

Kageyama pressed a hand to his forehead and groaned. Bokuto moved away to cheer and give Hinata high-five for their next game, but Kageyama was busy regretting everything about his life in that moment. He walked out with his face still red.

**Author's Note:**

> (General A/N that exists at the end of all my fics): I find unsolicited concrit really rude, I'm not looking for any. Please don't tell me someone was OOC/something happened you didn't like/it's too short/etc. in any bookmarks or comments.


End file.
